Partners Praise EarthLink's VeloCloud-Powered SD-WAN Service

Telecommunications provider EarthLink is jumping on the software-defined WAN bandwagon with the launch of EarthLink SD-WAN Concierge for customers and channel partners.

The Atlanta-based provider's SD-WAN service is a cloud-based offering that gives businesses a unified platform to manage network functions and their Internet of Things (IoT) environments, according to EarthLink.

EarthLink's new SD-WAN service is powered by SD-WAN vendor VeloCloud. The two providers announced a partnership earlier this month.

[Related: EarthLink Sells IT Services Business to Rising Star Synoptek For $29M]

EarthLink SD-WAN Concierge is a combination of a platform and a managed service. According to the provider, the offering includes an assigned service manager and EarthLink engineers that can work with each business to integrate SD-WAN into their network by creating routing and security policies based on real-time analytics.

The latest service is available through EarthLink's channel partners, the provider told CRN.

Intelisys, a master agent and EarthLink partner believes that SD-WAN is a "game-changing" opportunity for the channel, said Andrew Pryfogle, senior vice president of cloud transformation for Petaluma, Calif.-based Intelisys.

’Earthlink’s announcement about their new SD-WAN offer is timely as it enables our sales partners to be at the forefront of this exciting new conversation with customers,’ Pryfogle said.

Telecom Decision Makers (TDM), a Pewee Valley, Ky.-based telecom agency and fellow EarthLink partner, has been selling SD-WAN solutions from its other carrier partners. Like Intelisys, TDM is excited that EarthLink has added an SD-WAN service to its portfolio, said Robert Bowling, president of TDM.

The new SD-WAN offering, Bowling said, helps EarthLink solidify its already very strong suite of network services.

TDM already sells VeloCloud's SD-WAN offering as a standalone product to its customers.

"We think VeloCloud is by far the best solution in the SD-WAN space. We are excited to be able to bundle it now with EarthLink's suite of products," Bowling said.

TDM serves many retail customers who are often looking for ways to prioritize their available bandwidth for specific applications, like unified communications, Bowling said.

"SD-WAN has to get worked into the total business need, existing networks and platforms," he said. "EarthLink isn't just pushing SD-WAN as a product, they are pushing it as a solution."

Businesses can integrate SD-Concierge with their existing EarthLink services, including hosted voice and WiFi for a total solution sale, Bowling said.

EarthLink continuously monitors the service to ensure performance and reliability of latency-sensitive applications. This "concierge service" wrapped around the technology delivers differentiated value to customers, as well as for partners who won't have to manage the solution, according to Olen Scott, vice president of partner channels for EarthLink.

SD-WAN Concierge gives EarthLink partners another monthly recurring revenue avenue, Scott said.

For enterprises with their own IT staff, the service also includes EarthLink SD-WAN Advisor, an option for business customers that want to manage the service internally, the company said.